The Instant Pudding Hack To Elevate Dry Cake Mix

Without a doubt, boxed cake mix can prove itself a quicker alternative to making a cake entirely from scratch, but it frequently comes at the cost of a less enticing taste and texture. Fortunately, you can easily upgrade any cake mix –- particularly a dry and crumbly one –- with the addition of instant pudding.

For instance, you might revamp your classic chocolate cake by whisking in a small package of chocolate instant pudding powder. Not only will the pudding add some much-needed moisture to your cake, but it will enhance the chocolate flavors. Yum.

Of course, to account for the extra dry ingredients in your cake, you may consider adjusting your wet ingredients. Another egg and a dash of oil should do the trick — though you should always base your adjustments on the other ingredients called for in your recipe. Once your cake and pudding mix have both soaked up the liquids, you're left with a deliciously rich batter that's ready to be poured into a pan and baked.

When adding pudding to your boxed cake mix for extra moisture and flavor, it's important that you choose a flavor of pudding that will complement your cake. After all, what's the point of adding pudding if its flavor is at odds with that of your cake? You might also want to consider how the colors might turn out when mixed and baked, so you don't wind up with an unappetizing color.

As mentioned previously, a great combo is that of chocolate cake (or any of its variations) and chocolate pudding, with bonus points for chocolate chips. Top it with s'more frosting for a delicious twist. You could also add vanilla pudding to a vanilla cake, or lemon pudding to a lemon cake –- very simple and classic pairings, but decadent nonetheless.

If you're looking to think outside the box, you could also choose more creative pairings, like chocolate cake and strawberry pudding. Who wouldn't want a chocolate-covered strawberry in cake form, right? For a strawberry cheesecake-like cake, you could pair a strawberry cake with cheesecake instant pudding, topping it off with either preserves or fresh strawberries.

Have a ton of instant pudding on your hands? You're in luck; instant pudding can be used in countless other recipes. For instance, you can add vanilla instant pudding to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe for the softest, moistest cookies. Alternatively, you could add chocolate instant pudding to chocolate cookies or red velvet crackle cookies for extra chocolatey flavor. Any cookie recipe you want to be fluffier can be a good candidate for instant pudding, so long as you make sure to accommodate the additional dry ingredients.

Similarly, you can reach a new level of chewy decadence by adding chocolate pudding to your brownies. As a matter of fact, if you don't have a boxed brownie mix on hand, you can actually make brownies using just chocolate chips, chocolate or chocolate fudge instant pudding, and chocolate cake mix. Just make the pudding according to its directions and add the cake mix. Voila! Easy peasy. Or you can fold another package of pudding mix into some whipped cream with milk, and you've got a tasty frosting to top off your brownies. Talk about a sweet treat!